Conveyors for processing chicken are currently known in the art. One such conveyor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,419, issued to Cantrell. The conveyor is formed of rigid segments which interlock to form a continuous conveyor platform, and which extend laterally into guide rails to stabilize the platform upon which the poultry carcasses are supported. The conveyor segments are configured and connected so that the conveyor may only travel along a straight processing line. The conveyor is flexible in a single direction, so that it may invert when it reaches the end of the processing line to travel back to the beginning of the line. The chicken carcasses are supported on deboning "horns," which are rigidly mounted on the conveyor platform. The conveyor disclosed in Cantrell presents a number of problems. First, a processing line using the disclosed apparatus may only be positioned along a straight line. It cannot be positioned around a curve to optimize the use of available floor space. Additionally, the platform disclosed is incapable of ascending along an incline. This presents problems in terms of overall design of the integrated processing plant, in that it limits the capability to raise and lower a conveyor to accommodate a second conveyor crossing beneath it.
A rigidly affixed mount, such as the deboning "horn" disclosed in Cantrell, requires repositioning of the chicken carcass on the mount for access to different sides of the carcass. It is desirable that a worker be able to easily rotate the poultry carcass during carving for easy access to all sides of the carcass.
A further problem with a conveyor of the type disclosed is the inability to thoroughly clean the conveyor. Debris that collects along the edges of the conveyor may not be easily dislodged. The area between the adjacent segments of the conveyor platform is inaccessible for cleaning, except at the ends of the processing line, where the conveyor inverts to change its direction of travel. With the growing public concern about salmonella poisoning, the ability to thoroughly cleanse processing equipment is of prime importance to the poultry processing industry.